Alongside John Lloyd

Radio 4 has confirmed that Sally Phillips will be the next curator of Radio 4’s Museum Of Curiosity.

Chortle first revealed the news in July, when the show’s host, John Lloyd, let it slip during an interview at the Latitude Festival.

Phillips said: ‘I couldn’t be more thrilled to be the next in a long line of distinguished sidekicks to the wonderful Mr John Lloyd and on such a brilliant show.  

‘Museum of Curiosity is as mind-blowing as it is hilarious and it has long been a career goal to work with John, the only non-Finn who has both won Baftas and written a dictionary of place-names in Finnish.’

Her comment is a reference to the Finnish translation of the Meaning Of Liff, the book QI and Blackadder producer Lloyd wrote with Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy creator Douglas Adams, in which they appropriated placed names to give to items or feelings which had hitherto escaped definition.

Lloyd said: ‘Sally is one of my all-time favourite comedy performers and I’m looking forward, as usual, to being much less funny than the latest of a long line of distinguished and delightful curators.’

The Museum of Curiosity first aired in 2008 and won the 2016 Rose D’Or for Best Talk Show. Recent curators have included Jo Brand, Noel Fielding, Sarah Millican and Romesh Ranganathan.

The 12th series will begin recording at the BBC Radio Theatre in central from Friday October 6 for broadcast in early 2018. To apply for free audience tickets visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/showsandtours/shows/

Smack The Pony and I'm Alan Partridge star Phillips will also learn a West End musical number for a new ITV show, it has just been announced.

Published: 11 Sep 2017